Friday, August 23, 2013

Cover Reveal: Immagica by K.A. Last + Giveaway!

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Title: Immagica
Author: K. A. Last
Genre: YA Fantasy/Adventure
Expected Date of Publication: November 2013
Word Count: approximately 66,000
Cover Illustration: Lawrence Mann LawrenceMann.co.uk
Cover Designer: KILA Designs – www.facebook.com/KILAdesigns
 
 
 
 Synopsis
 
Immagica…
Where anything is possible, but not always controllable.
Enter at your own risk.

The night before her fifteenth birthday, Rosaline Clayton receives an amulet from her deranged father. He tells her she must find the book, and begs her to save him. Rosaline is used to her father not making any sense, and she dismisses their conversation as another of his crazy rants.

Rosaline and her younger brother, Elliot, find the old, leather-bound book tucked away in their Nana’s attic, and it sucks them into its pages. They land in a magical world where anything is possible, but when Rosaline and Elliot are separated, the only thing Rosaline wants is to find her brother and go home.

The creatures of Immagica have other ideas. Rosaline befriends a black unicorn, two fairies, and a girl named Brynn, who are under threat from a menacing dragon. Rosaline discovers she is bound to Immagica in ways she doesn’t understand, and the fate of this magical world rests entirely on her shoulders.
 
 
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Excerpt
 
The book flew open and a gust of wind whipped my curls around my face. The pages riffled back and forth before coming to a halt, open at the first page. This was getting a little weird. I was about to slam the book shut when words began to appear of their own volition, right before our eyes.

“Um, Elliot. Can you see that? Or am I as crazy as Dad?”

“I can see it,” he whispered.

Immagica, the place where anything is possible, but not always controllable.
Enter at your own risk.

“What a load of crap,” I said, picking the book up. The new line of text flickered gold and pulsed, on then off, then on again, like a flashing, neon sign. I gingerly picked up the corner of the page and peeked under it to the next, but it was blank.

“How do we enter?” Elliot asked, leaning into me and staring at the book.

“Why do you keep asking me all these questions? You’re here, you know as much as I do.”

“You’re older, and always acting so much smarter than me,” Elliot said. I poked my tongue out. “That’s real mature.” He rolled his eyes.

“Oh, so you’re Mr Maturity now you’re a teenager.”

“Sometimes I’m more mature than you!”

While we argued, we were oblivious to what was happening. The book riffled its pages again, and another gust of wind hit our faces. Before we knew what was happening, the golden glow exploded from the book and sucked us in. That’s the best way I can describe it. One minute we were in my room, surrounded by my grandmother’s elegant interior decorating, and the next we were enveloped with gold light.

At first I felt Elliot beside me, but then he was gone. The light was warm, like a soft, fuzzy blanket. Then the ground hit me in the face. It was hard and rough. The force of my landing knocked the wind out of me, and I tumbled over myself before coming to a halt on my back. Above me was an azure sky dotted with fluffy, marshmallow clouds. I turned my head and spotted the book lying closed on the ground a few metres away. I tried to move to retrieve it, but it took a few moments before I could roll onto my side and get to my knees.

When I finally managed to stand, I took in my surroundings with wide eyes. The sky may have been blue, but the ground was dirty charcoal. Lumps of gravel mixed with sand and dead grass. It stretched on, and on, nothing but barren wasteland no matter which way I turned. The only break in the landscape was where the horizon met the sky.

A lump of fear rose in my throat. Where was Elliot?

I didn’t know where I was, and I was completely alone.



Giveaway!
 
 
 
 
About the Author
 
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K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. She now resides in a peaceful, leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children, and a rabbit named Twitch.

Author web links:
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kalast
 
 
 

Monday, August 19, 2013

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop!

Hello!  And welcome to my stop on the Clear You Shelf Giveaway Hop!  I have some awesome books to give away to ONE winner.  The picture isn't the best quality, sorry about that.  Also, this giveaway is only for people who live in the US, sorry international people but shipping is ridiculous and just a reminder:  I don't have a job so...yeah.  haha.  But you international people, I do have a giveaway going on that is INT so go check that out in the sidebar!

Anyway, here are the books that I will be giving away to one lucky winner:

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=8ea60c25df&view=att&th=1409976fa8e7681b&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_gYLhN-MHoagOzDyepeJWG&sadet=1376965213412&sads=r38-iNbjDUuFM71_j_jhLO4lC7w
 (If you can't see the picture then the books are: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordin, Birthmarked and Prized by Caragh O'Brien, Wither by Lauren DeStefano, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Enclave by Ann Aguirre)
So, I have a thing about series all being the same.  Whether it's paperback or hardcover.  These are all paperbacks and the other books in the series are hardcover so I just really want the whole series to be the same (It'll look nicer on my shelf).  So, it's time to give these books a new home so I can finally get them in hardcover.

Rules:
Number 1:  This giveaway is US only.  :(
Number 2:  You must be older than 13 or have a parents permission to enter.
Number 3:  If you are chosen then you have 48 hours to respond to my email.
Number 4:  No cheating!  I do check all entries.



Good Luck, guys!





Beat the Heat Wrap Up

Well, all good things must come to an end.  I had so much fun participating in this read-a-thon and read so many books it's insane.  Thank you so much to Auntie Spinelli Reads & Phantasmic Reads for putting this together, you guys are amazing!

So, I didn't meet my new goal of 18 books.  But I was close, I did read 16 and I still think that that's pretty damn good.  :)  Here are all of the books that I read.

   12665819  15745753   9237208  
 13183957  12578077  13047090 
 13362536   9859436   16065768 
13624584  17185049  10860399 
 16034964  891368  9680718 

Wow, that took a long time to link everything up haha.

Total Books Read-16
Total Pages Read-4,362 (Holy Friggens)

Friday, August 16, 2013

Feature and Follow (7) + Beat the Heat Days 17 & 18

Gain New Blog Followers
 
"The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends."
 
 
This Weeks Features
 
 
 
 
 
And
 
 
 
 
Q: Share something you've learned about book blogging or just blogging in general in the last month.

A: Really, just learning not to do everything at once.  Or try to do everything little thing because you will get burned out and it will almost become a chore. 


If you decide to follow, then let me know in the comments so I can return the favor!

Have a great weekend! 



Beat the Heat Days 17 & 18!

BeatHeatRAT2

 So sorry that I didn't update yesterday.  I was just really tired and didn't feel like spending a lot of time on the internet.  But I'm back now, with two updates!
 
 
Wednesday-Day 17
I met the goal for the read along for Half-Blood so I moved onto Project 17
  891368
 I have seriously read this book at least ten times and it is just as freaky as the first time I read it.  Do not read this one when you're home alone at night.  You will not sleep.  Just a warning.

Pages Read-155
Books Started-Project 17
Books Finished-0
Total Books Finished-13


Thursday-Day 18
I finished up Project 17 and then moved on to this book but I think I'm going to stop where I am right now and continue on with Half-Blood.


 
It's definitely interesting so far, but I'm going to save this one for later.
 
Pages Read-210
Books Started-White Cat 
Books Finished-Project 17
Total Books Finished-14

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Cover Reveal: Trust in Me by J. Lynn + Giveaway!

Okay, this is seriously so freaking awesome to be participating in this cover reveal.  Holy friggens, guys.

I'm so excited gif photo:  imsoexcited.gif

So, here it is guys!  Are you ready?

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It’s Wait for You as you’ve never seen it. Trust in Me lets you in on Cam’s side of the #1 New York Times Bestselling story.

Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women. But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life – literally – he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues. But Cam’s not ready to give up. He can’t get the feisty and intriguing girl out of his head.

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feelings Cam knows she has for him. Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shut out of Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

It's beautiful, is it not?  I love it!


Giveaway Time!






Pre-order Now!  Available October 22nd!




Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August New Release Giveaway Hop!

    
Welcome to my stop!  I hope you guys find these books to your liking.  One winner will be able to pick one book out of these five choices.  Choose carefully.  :)

15714722   14289306   15784722  
17724884   13615701  

If you want to know more about each book then just click on the cover and you will be taken to Goodreads. 

Some Rules:
Number 1:  You must be over 13 unless you have a parents permission.
Number 2:  This is international as long as TBD ships to you for free
Number 3:  The winner will have 48 hours to respond after I send out the email and tweet you (if you have an account) informing you that you won.
Number 4:  No cheating!  I do check all the entries.

Good luck, guys!




Waiting on Wednesday (15): Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell + Beat the Heat Day 16

Hosted by Breaking the Spine 


16068905 
 Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Description taken from Goodreads


Why I'm Waiting
I read Eleanor & Park not too long ago and absolutely fell in love with it.  I will now read anything by Rainbow Rowell.  The premise just sounds so refreshing and new that I know I will be getting it as soon as it comes out. 


Fangirl releases on September 10 

What are you waiting for?  Let me know in the comments! 


Beat the Heat Day 16!
 BeatHeatRAT2Not much reading done on Day 16.  I was so busy, I went out to lunch with my gram and gramp because today is actually my gramp's birthday but unfortunately he has to start radiation so I can't spend any time with him.  So, that really sucks.  And then I went to the Matchbox Twenty/Goo Goo Dolls concert.  That was so freaking awesome.  I felt like I was reliving my childhood right there.  It was just so much fun and our seats were really close which made it even better.  I can barely talk today because I was singing so loud, haha.  But I mean if you go to a concert and then the next day you can talk fine then you're doing something wrong.  Seriously.


Anyways, here's the update:

Tuesday-Day 16
Pages Read-22
Books Started-0
Books Finished-0
Total Books finished-13  
 
 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Release Day Blitz: Keeping Her by Cora Carmack + Giveaway!

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I'm so excited to be participating in this release day launch.  I just absolutely love this series and will continue to support it as long as Cora keeps writing books.  ;) 


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ABOUT KEEPING HER:

Garrick Taylor and Bliss Edwards managed to find their happily-ever-after despite a rather . . . ahem . . . complicated start. By comparison, meeting the parents should be an absolute breeze, right?

But from the moment the pair lands in London, new snags just keep cropping up: a disapproving mother-in-law-to-be, more than one (mostly) minor mishap, and the realization that perhaps they aren't quite as ready for their future as they thought.

As it turns out, the only thing harder than finding love is keeping it.


Purchase


 Also, Cora Carmack is planning to donate 20% of all her royalties from this book to the charity Planting Peace for the life of the book. You can find out more about Planting Peace here:  http://www.plantingpeace.org/. Planting Peace is a progressive nonprofit organization founded for the purpose of spreading peace in a hurting world. Although the organization operates on a global level, they emphasize the power of one; the ability that each person possesses to make a difference in the world.


If you want to read the first chapter as well as some bonus scenes from Losing It in Garrick's POV, then click right here.  You know you want to.  





Giveaway Time!




 https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=8ea60c25df&view=att&th=14070006342b67bb&attid=0.2&disp=inline&realattid=f_hk8yrg281&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_gYLhN-MHoagOzDyepeJWG&sadet=1376419630042&sads=nlkuG-kAbiTZ2e-qvdbl0cfzawU 
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. 

You can find Cora at theses links here:


 

Teaser Tuesday (10): Half-Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout + Beat the Heat Day 15

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 



9680718 
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals--well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. 

Description taken from Goodreads


Teasers

"None of them expected me to run from them, but that's what I did."
-page 7

"'You show amazing strength,' he murmured, stirring the hair around my ear.
I forced my eyes open.  'Oh...I'm just saving all of this up for years of therapy later.'"
-page 161 



Beat the Heat Day 15! 
BeatHeatRAT2 
I'm slowing down, guys.  It's horrible, really.  I managed to finish Losing It and I started this book here, but I just didn't feel like reading:
 
9680718
 Hopefully, I'll get out of this slump soon.
 
 Monday-Day 15
Pages Read-50
Books Started-Half-Blood
Books Finished-Losing It
Total Books Finished-13